The invention relates to circuit breakers mounted in a panelboard, and more particularly to structure for retaining a filler plate which covers open areas adjacent the breaker.
Circuit breakers in panelboards have a frontside with a user-engageable pivoted operating handle extending therethrough and moveable in an arc. The breaker has a two piece molded housing, typically made of a thermoset polyester material.
In some known breakers, the housing sections are split along a lateral parting line in a parting plane perpendicular to the plane of handle movement along its arc, to provide a rear housing section and a front housing section. An example of molded housing sections with a lateral parting line is shown in Westinghouse "WEB/WEHB/WFB Panelboard 225 Ampere Main Lug 3 Phase, 4 Wire, 120/208 Volts Photo 10", April 1983, "WEB/WEHB/WFB Panelboard 225 Ampere Type JB/KB/HKB Main Breaker, 3 Phase, 4 Wire, 277/480 Volts Photo 11" April 1983. During molding, the front housing section is formed with a rearwardly extending bore. This bore is provided for receiving a screw which mounts a vertical filler plate adjacent the front surface of the breaker and covering open areas adjacent the breaker to the next breaker, etc. An example of a filler plate is shown at 78 in FIG. 5 of Koslosky et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,761, incorporated herein by reference.
In other known breaker housings, the two piece molded housing is split along a longitudinal parting line in a parting plane parallel to the plane of handle movement along its arc, such that there is an upper housing section and a lower housing section. An example of housing sections with a longitudinal parting line is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,111,354, 3,172,014 and 4,430,631, incorporated herein by reference. During molding of these types of housing sections, a rearwardly extending bore cannot be formed without an extra step in the molding process drawing such bore opening perpendicularly to the direction of mold separation, which extra step is cost objectionable.
The present invention addresses and solves the last noted problem in a particularly simple and cost effective manner.